1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wall construction of the type in which concrete is poured between outside side plates and inner insulating panels held spaced apart by spacing strips, and more particularly to an alignment strut for retaining adjacent side plates in position during fabrication of the wall structure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the use of prefabricated assemblies for forming concrete wall structures, such as those described in Nilsen et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,349 and the prior art identified therein, it has been the practice to employ bracing systems for maintaining the prefabricated assemblies in position during the pouring and setting of the concrete within the assembly.
Heretofore, before pouring the concrete into a prefabricated wall, a series of "ladders" were made which consisted of parallel lines of lumber two by fours held apart by wooden struts nailed to the top edges of the two by fours. These ladders, when fabricated, were placed on top of the prefabricated wall structure and braced from one side or the other to either stakes in the ground or to adjacent scaffolding. These ladders were not only costly in both labor and material to produce, but had to be lifted up into place on the prefabricated wall structure; a particularly difficult task if reinforcing steel was projecting vertically out of the prefabricated wall structure. Additionally, the struts between the parallel two by fours would often accidentally impinge on vertical tabs projecting from the prefabricated wall panel, bending them down and making the installation of the next row of panels difficult. Then when introducing concrete into the wall structure, a task usually accomplished by flowing it out of a hose, the steam would accidentally impinge on the struts of the ladder and splatter over the side of the prefabricated wall structure, not only wasting concrete, but also making the clean up more difficult. Finally, the ladders being made out of lumber were not always true and straight, requiring the exercise of care to insure that even though the struts were aligned, they were true and straight.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a reusable alignment strut which will perform all of the functions of the ladder structures described above, but will have none of their undesirable features. Additionally, it is an object of the present invention to provide an alignment strut having additional desirable features not found in the prior art.